Crimson Mist
by TailCutter
Summary: the story follows a young hunter named Sandoril, the son of the main character in Monster Hunter Tri. His father was killed by a rare Red Deviljho and he wants revenge. My first fic and I appreciate any constructive criticism. M for language later on.


It has been a long ten years since my father went to Moga Village to eliminate the cause of the life threatening earthquakes that plagued them for months. My father was sent from Loc Lac city when I was only a child, still too young to even begin training at the Hunter Academy. He would write me letters constantly, telling me of his conquests as small as a pack of Jaggi and Jaggia to eventually hunting great beasts like the Ceadeus and Jhen Mohran. He left as a rookie hunter and came back with great titles like "Leviathan Destroyer", "Mohran Slayer", and "Conqueror of the Sky King". We were more proud of him then we ever thought possible, but it made his sudden death that much more tragic.

He was on a hunt in the frozen tundra of the north, his objective simple. He was to mine Isisium while eliminating a bothersome pack of Baggi. He was heading back to the base camp when he was attacked by a Deviljho. He had hunted many in the past, but this one was much different from the others. Its scales were blood red as well as its eyes. He tried to fight it, but the creature struck him down without a second thought. His shakalaka companion known simply as "Cha-Cha" was able to return to Moga Village to tell the chief of the horrible news. A search party had been sent to recover his body, but all that was found was his guild armor, mangled and splattered with blood. When word reached my mother and I, my drive to hunt changed.

I no longer wanted to hunt to continue the pride of my father. My only goal in life from that point on was to defeat that monster known as the "Red Devil" by those who have seen it and escaped with an inch of their lives, and to avenge my father's death. I spent the next few years training at the Hunter Academy in Loc Lac, doing my best to rise in the ranks and to be soon assigned a city to hunt for. I felt that the stars were shining on me when I was sent to Moga Village only two years after my father's death to be their new hunter.

Before I left, my teacher in Loc Lac had given me something that he said belong to my father. "Sandoril," he said to me as he presented a large wooden chest to me, "this axe and armor belonged to your father when he began hunting. He would have wanted you to have it with you when you became a hunter as well." He said before leaving me to place the armor on my body.

The armor itself was comprised mostly of iron and scales, but had crystals with special properties as well. The helmet was made of molded iron that wrapped around the back and sides of the head, the top left exposed with a small visor going across the forehead. The chest plate was comprised of many levels. The inner-most layer was leather covered in orange tinted scales, covering the entire chest and abdomen. The scales covered the right shoulder as well before stopping at the bracers, made of the same scales. The left pectoral section of the armor had a bit of extra re-enforcement. An iron plate covered the left half of the chest, protecting the heart further than the rest of the armor. The left pauldron was made of iron as well due to my father and I both being left handed. The left and right bracers were both made of leather and scales, protecting the joints in my arms where the pauldrons and gauntlets would not cover. The right gauntlet was again made of the same leather and orange scales the rest of the armor comprised of, while the left had the iron plating as well as the scales. Both gauntlets gave protection while still allowing maneuverability with the wrists and fingers. A simple leather and fur fauld wrapped around my waist, animal hide pants and iron boots covering my legs and feet.

The weapon, known as a Switch Axe was a very unique weapon. It was able to be folded up and strapped to the back of the wielder allowing mobility while hunting. It was made primarily out of the bones of creatures hunted many years ago, shaped into an axe with joints and slides for when the weapon 'switches'. Near the rear end of the axe head, there was the bottom of an iron blade, the sharp edge facing towards the wielder. One pull of a lever on the handle causes the axe head to slide down to the hilt and the blade to flip over the top and lock into position where the axe head was, turning the weapon into a great sword. I strapped the weapon to my back before walking to the Loc Lac port to find the ship that will take me to Moga Village.

I arrived at the harbor early in the morning. Many ships and fishing boats were being loaded up, but the ship I was told to take was still nowhere to be seen. I had decided to walk to an open area of the docks and drew the switch axe. I began to swing the heavy blade, imagining creatures like Jaggi or Ludroth being hewn in two by the sharp axe head. I continued to swing for a long time until my body was covered in sweat and I was panting heavily. I was about to sit and rest when I heard a loud booming voice behind me. "You must be Sandoril! You remind me greatly of your father." I turned around and saw a very tall man with slanted eyes and pointed ears. "I am the captain of The Argosy." He said as he pointed towards a large trading vessel having crates and barrels carried on and off the ship by the various crew members.

I looked the man over a bit more closely. He was dressed in very strange clothes, wearing a white nagajuban, a blue montsuki kimono, and a blue hakama. Although the strangest thing about him was the sword he carried on his back. It was a large katana, the blade almost as long as he was tall. The scabbard of the katana was made out of the strangest blue and black scales, something I had never seen before. "We will be ready to depart soon, get onto the ship as soon as you can." He said again, his thick eastern accent making some of what he said hard to understand, but I did as he commanded and got on the ship, ready to get to Moga Village. As the ship departed for the open ocean, I looked back at the desert city that had been my home for the last 22 years of my life and I smiled, but my smile disappeared as I remembered why I was leaving. "The Red Deviljho." I mumbled to myself before I went to my quarters on the ship, a small room by the captain's quarters. I removed my axe from my back before I would lie on my bed and fell asleep.

"All hands on deck! There's a Lagiacrus coming our way!" shouted one of the crew members as he ran by my quarters. The name Lagiacrus immediately stuck in my head as the deadly leviathan known as "King of the Sea". My blood began to pump as I grabbed my axe as I ran on deck, seeing the crew all gathered along the starboard deck, manning the cannons and ballistae mounted along the ship. I drew my axe before the captain stepped out in front of me, his sword drawn and held at the ready. "That axe isn't going to cut it kid." He said as I looked out at the ocean. The scene seemed peaceful, the large fish-like creatures called Epioth swimming along the ship for a few moments. A pin drop could be heard on the ship in the silence as the tension began to build.

Suddenly without any warning, the Epioth began to scatter, swimming in erratic patterns as they tried to clear away from the ship. Before I could even blink, a large mass of blue had jumped out of the ocean and dove towards the ship. Cannon fire rang out and large bolts fired from the ballistae, all of them aimed towards the large creature as it swam for the ship. I had seen drawings of this beast in books, but nothing prepared me for what I was looking at in person.

Its head was very similar to an aquatic reptile, an extended snout jutting from its face with large fangs hanging out from the top jaw, but it also had a crest protecting the back of its neck, two brown horns facing backwards from either side of the crest. Its underside was covered with pale cream colored scales while the top was covered with large blue plates and scales. The most beautiful and horrifying thing though were the large formations on its back. They were organs that would conduct electricity, but they looked like bright shining crystals. It had reared out of the water, its bright red eyes staring down at the ship before it let out an ear-splitting roar.

As soon as the first volley of cannon balls and bolts were fired, the crew had begun to reload their weapons. The beast glared down at the ship before electricity began to visibly crackle around its back as its mouth remained open. A large ball of visible electricity then fired from its mouth, hitting one of the two sails on the ship, a massive hole ripping through it as the ball of energy disappeared. A second round of cannon fire blasted the Lagiacrus right in the face and chest, a large crunching sound easily audible as one connected with its ribs. The beast lunged forward which is when the captain ran towards the edge of the ship, swinging its sword towards its chest, a large deep gash ripping into it. The Sea King let out a defeated roar as it fell over and began to swim away slowly. "Should we pursue it captain?" one of the men firing a cannon asked. "No, let it go and lick its wounds. There is no honor in hunting it like this." He said as he sheathed his sword on his back. My hands shook as I thought of how large and horrifying the Lagiacrus was. I now knew that I had a long road ahead of me before I could even try to hunt the red Deviljho.

Once I got a hold of myself I turned and noticed what looked like an island off in the distance. I ran to the bow and smiled as a sailor in the crow's nest yelled "Moga Village in sight! Prepare to dock!" I had gone back to the cabin where I stayed, grabbing the few belongings I brought with me that I did not wear, mostly the zennie I had acquired doing odd jobs in Loc Lac before leaving. Once I stepped back onto the deck, the ship was close to Moga Village's small harbor.

As soon as the boat was secure, the crew of the ship had already begun to unload crates and barrels from the hold. I had begun to walk along the wooden beam that led to the dock when I was met with children and teenagers alike crowding around me, asking questions faster than I could answer. One young man, only a few years younger than me had caught my eye. "You look just like the hunter that saved us from the Ceadeus when I was a child." He said with a kind smile. Before I could respond he added a comment as he turned away. "Let's hope you aren't going to let us down." He said as he walked away from the dock to help a slender woman unpack the crates placed in front of the town shop. I was unsure of why the young man had said what he did, but I knew I had to find the chief of the village.

As I reached the center of the village I was met with a loud booming voice. "You must be Sandoril! Welcome to Moga Village!" said a very tall muscular man. He wore a purple vest, blue pants, and simple leather shoes. As he approached me I held my hand out to shake his when I was suddenly engulfed by a monstrously powerful bear hug. "I knew your father well, so let's forget that hand shaking business." He said as he laughed a deep rumbling laugh. As soon as I was set down I felt as if he had cracked most of the bones in my body, but I stood strong in front of him. "I know you would probably like to rest after your long voyage from Loc Lac, but we do have an issue we need taken care of since we haven't had any good hunters since your father…" he said as he trailed off, obviously seeing the unhappiness on my face at the mention of my father's death. "Well, we have a group of Jaggi that have been coming up to the farm and have been eating the crops. Take them out and you can start using part of the farm for your own needs."

I simply smile and nod. "I'll gladly take out those Jaggi for you. Hopefully my father's axe will lend me even just a fraction of his strength." I say as I draw the weapon from my back and unfold it, the axe head sliding down to the end of the shaft as I gripped the handle with both of my hands. The chief laughs his deep laugh again. "That axe is just as sharp as it was when he left it here. It will serve you well." He said as he led me to the gat leading to Moga Woods. I walked with the axe still drawn towards as I walked across the bridge and into the woods, now officially a true Monster Hunter.


End file.
